Zone of seismic activity

In my project, I explore the lives of servicewomen on the frontline. Their everyday life and personal space, which, in the conditions of war, become fragile. The connection between a person and the territory they inhabit.

Seismic activity refers to underground tremors caused by human activity.

In 2014, war broke out in Eastern Ukraine. Some of the women who participated in the Revolution of Dignity volunteered to go to the front. Without military experience and not being part of the official army, they carried out combat missions as assault troops, grenade launchers, and snipers. Later, in their military ID cards, their positions would be listed as "seamstress," "clerk," or "cook." It wasn't until 2018 that 63 combat positions were opened to women in the army. Today, the Armed Forces of Ukraine include almost 70,000 women, of whom more than 5,000 are engaged in combat tasks. 

In my project, I explore the lives of servicewomen on the frontline. Their everyday life and personal space, which, in the conditions of war, become fragile and shrink to the size of a car or a corner in a room. The connection between a person and the territory they inhabit. Underground tremors that occur imperceptibly to people until they reach a critical force that changes the landscape.

In October 2023 and in August and September 2024, I conducted two expeditions to the combat zone in the Kharkiv and Donetsk directions, documenting the daily lives and work of three female servicemembers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces: Oksana Rubanyak, commander of a UAV platoon; Andriana Arekhta, sergeant of the Special Operations Forces; and Yuliya Sidorova, paramedic of the 92nd Separate Mechanized Brigade. I also captured the changes in the region's landscape brought by the war.

My research is important for documenting and reflecting on the impact of war on women's lives, worldview, and their search for a place in the new military reality.